Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment - John 7:24

Thursday, April 29, 2010

The Apostle Paul and Jet Lag

"The goal, he insists, is already given in Christ. That's why, from one point of view, the day has already dawned, while from another it's still on the way. Paul, innocent of the modern phenomenon of jet lag, nevertheless expresses something similar here. He is like someone taking off just as dawn is breaking and flying rapidly westward, catching up with the end of the night and arriving in the new country in time to experience dawn all over again. His body and mind know its already daytime, while the world around him is still waiting for the dawn to break. That is the picture of the Christian, living in the new day of God's kingdom--a kingdom launched by Jesus--while the rest of the world is still turning over in bed. Paul's vision of Christian virtue, centered here as elsewhere on faith, hope, and love, is all about developing the habits of the daytime heart in a world still full of darkness."